Picture display cabinet



March 21, 19391- y A B. SCOTT PICTURE DISPLAY CABINET Filed Oct.l 23,1936 2 Sheets-Shee 1v INVENTOR.

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' March 21, 1939. A B SCOTT 2,159,992

PICTURE DISPLAY CABINET Filed Oct. 25, 1936 2 Sl'le'etS-Shee'sl 2 775INVENTOR. 72 7l 6l; -Calif/dJgzgoo'j? 2 L \\\\I j W 'ATTO R N EYSPatented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE 4PICTURE DISPLAYCABINET Albert B. Scott, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to S. C. K.Corporation, Lo's Angeles, Calif., a. corporation of Nevada ApplicationOctober 23, 1936, Serial No. 107,183

10 Claims.

jected by apparatus within the cabinet and 'sov constructed thatthe'screen can be extended from the cabinet into a display position butwhich, when not in use, will occupy a folded position within the body ofthe cabinet.

The invention is 'intended particularly for use in connection with themeans patented to me December -19, 1933, in my prior Patent No.1,940,148, on Projecting apparatus.

My prior patent covers projecting apparatus to be used for displayingscenes from attractions now showing in moving picture theatres, andattractions which are coming in the near future to the same theatre, andone of the objects of the present invention is to provide a cabinetparticularly adapted to cooperate with the projecting apparatus coveredby the said patent;

also to provide a cabinet of this kind which will normally house theprojection screen within the cabinet but which can be readily operatedso as .to extend the screen into a display position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cabinetof this kindwhich will be compact and provided with reectois arranged in such I away that a screen of relatively large size may be employed although thecabinet will occupy relatively small floor space.

A further objet-,ofi'this invention is to produce a cabinet of this typecapable of Ibeing used for displaying moving pictures or other picturesparticularly adapted to be used for advertising purposesin va foyer orin area in front of a theatre, andv to construct the cabinet in such away that when notin use it can be folded into a relatively compact spaceso that it will be capable of being trundled through the doo'r of thetheatre or other building. at which it is used.

, A further object of the invention is to provide' special means forexcluding light from the interior of the cabinet immediately to the rearofv.

thescreen; also to provide means for excluding side lights from fallingon the front of the screen. Further objects of the invention will appearhereinafter. a

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts tobe described hereinafter. all of which contribute to produce an emcientl picture display cabinet.'

"A preferred embodiment og the invention is `described inthe followingSpecification, while the broad scope of the 'invention-is in theappendedclaims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a cabinet embodying my invention andrepresenting the same in its folded or closed condition.

pointed out Figure 2 is a perspective of the cabinet illusthe plane ofthe line 4-4 of Figure 2 and illustrating the relation of the parts whenthe cabinet is in its open or extended position for the screen.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section on Fig. 4 about on the line 5-5 upon anenlarged scale, certain parts being broken away, and furtherillustrating details of the means for extending andre-- tracting thescreen and also details of the mounting for the screen.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken about on the.line E-/-S of Figure4ffurther illustrating details of the construction.

Referring more particularly to the parts, I in- 30 dicates the body ofthe cabinet which is of box form, preferably having a substantiallyvertical front wall 2.

The cabinet includes a' screen carriage 3 (see Figure 2) which is ofsubstantially box form havinga cover plate 4 and side walls 5. Thiscarriage is mounted for sliding movement in or out of the cabinet andpreferably'inY an upwardv direction so that the screen 6 mounted on thecarriage will be in an elevated position for displaying the pictures onthe screen. In other lwords, Figure 2 represents the screen in its display position. Any suitable means may beeinployed for-extending andretracting the screen carriage, but in the present instance this isacprenant' instance it ls illustrated as mounted on u Y ent instance itis mounted on the underside of a plate I which in the folded conditionof the cabinet operates as a cover for a portion of the cabinet andcooperates with the top plate or cover ,plate -4 of the carriage 3 toform a substantially continuous cover for a considerable portion of thecabinet.

The plate I5 may be considered as a reector frame and in the presentinstance this plate is connected to the cabinet body and to the carriage3, being hingedly connected to one of these members and slidablyconnected to the other. In' the present instance the plate I5 isconnected byy a hinge joint IB to the forward edge of 4a xed cover plateI1 which covers the rear end of the cabinet. The forward end of theplate I5 and reflector I4 extend into the rear side of the screencarriage 3 which is open, and at each side the plate I5 is provided witha hanger or bracket I8 having 'a pin I9 running in a slot 20 formed in aguide bar 2 I. These guide bars 2I are located directly under the coverlplate 4 of the carriage 3.

In order to exclude the light from coming in at yeach side l of thereflector plate I5 when in its extended position as indicated in Figure4, I provide side plates 22 integral with the plate I5, and

these side plates 22 are preferably of sector form with arcuate outeredges 23.

At the back of the carriage 3 at au elevated point and just back of theupper end of the plate I5 where it projects into the carriage, means isprovided for excluding the light, preferably in the form of a flexibleflap 24 which if desired may have a horizontal hinge connection 25permitting it to`l swing into a substantially horizontal position whenthe cabinet is folded up as indicated in Figure 1.

In the present construction, when ,the side plates 5 of the carriage 3descend, they are sutW stantially in linewith the hubs 8* of thepinion-1s l, and hence it is necessary to provide clearance slots 25which extend vertically upwards inthe side walls 5 from their loweredges. These slots enable the side plates 5 to pass down over the hubs3*. However, in the elevated position of the carriage these slots wouldadmit light and hence in the construction illustrated it is necessary toprovide a shutter 21 at each side to cover these slots in the elevatedposition of the carriage. Each of these shutters 21 is preferably in theform of an elongated flat-plate or bar pivotally supported on a pin )2lon the inside of its corresponding side plate 5; `and a spring, whichmay be in the form-of a coil spring 29 may be provided for urging eachof these shutters* 21 forwardly at its lower end. The lower end kvofeach shutter 21 is formed with an inclined cam edge 30. When thecarriage descends, this cam edge 30 strikes the corresponding hub l* andthis swings the shutter to one side on its pivot pin 20. e

'Ihe rear portion of the interior of the cabinet body constitutes aprojection compartment 3i which is divided of! from the remainder of thev interior of the cabinet by a division wall 32 which -is disposed in ageneral vertical direction. The

lower portion of this wall 32 may be a fixed plate 33 through which anopening 34 is formed for the, passage of the light rays thatproject-,otite image to be thrown on the screen 6. However,v ,the` upperportion 35 of this division wall 32 is prefer` ably mounted so that itis movable in a forward direction so as to allow clearance for openingthe cover 35 of the projection apparatus 31 which stands in theprojection compartment 3|. I'hls projection apparatus 31 is of the typeillustrated in my patent referred to above; and in inserting thecontinuous film in the film magazine 38, it is necessary to open thedoor 36, swinging the same outwardly onits hinge 39. Bymaking the upperv v portion 35 of the division wall movable, this part of the wall canbe swung forwardly as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4. Inorder to accomplish this, the movable part 35 is preferably made oftwo-hinged sections 35 and 35, the upper section 35s having a hingeconnection 40 attaching it to the underside of the cover plate Il, andthe lower edge of the section 35 being connected by a. hinge 4I with thesection 35i. Detachable hooks 35c attached'by springs 35d are providedfor holding the lower edge of the section `35i against the forward sideof the upper edge of the fixed wall section 33. A soft pad strip 33 maybe provided as shown to make this joint light-proof. d g

If desired means may -be provided for latching the movable `rportion 35in its extended position so that it projects forwardly from theprojection compartment 3|. For this purpose I may provide a latch bar 42mounted on a pivot pin 43 under the cover plate I1 and capabley of beingswung around so that the tongue 42Il formed at the end of this latch can'engage the upper section 35* of the division-walll as indicated indotted lines in Figure 4.

Within the forward portion of the cabinet I provide a primary reflector44 from which the image is projected from the lens of the projectionmachine located at 45, and the image thrown onto this primary reflctoris reflected up onto the reflector I4; which may be considered asecondary reflector from which the light is reflected onto the rear ofthe screen 5 to produce the image visible from the front. The dottedlines 48 indicate the limits of the beam of light that forms the image.

In practice the reflectors I4 and 44 are parallel, or nearly so, and inorder to provide for adjusting their relation to insure proper registerfor the picture on the screen, the reflector 44 is prefer-y -ablymounted for adjustment on a substantially horizontal pivot pin 41whichmay be supported on a suitable stand 43. The projection compartment3| is accessible at the rear of the cabinet through a hinged door 43,

and in order to enable the attendant toascertain whether the picture isproperly cast on the screen 3, I provide the upper section 35# of thedivision wall 32 with one'or more peep holes 50 see. Figure 3) whichhave movable covers or shutters i 5I pivoted at 52.

The cabinet is preferably-provided with means for supporting the sideedges of the reflector plate I 5 when in its horizontal or foldedcondition. This tends to prevent buckling of Nthis plate which mightstrain the vreflector I/4-if. the same were a order to exclude the lightand also to prevent the flange 54 from scratching the side plate 22, Iprovide the flange 54 with a flexible packing strip 56.

This packing strip may be of folded felt or any other suitable material.At other points throughout the cabinet where there is any possibility oflight entering, I provide packing strips of felt or similar material.

rI'he cover wall I1 is preferably provided with Ventilating openings 51f see Figures 1 and 4).

In order to exclude side lights from the forward side ofthe screen whichmight interfere with the clearness of the picture, I prefer to provide ahood 58 which is preferably constructed as indicated in Figure 4. Inother words, this hood is foldable or removable and preferably comprisesan upper plate 59 connected by a hinge connection 60 to the forward edgeof the cover plate 4 of the carriage, and in the open position of thishood the plate 59 is supported on two side plates 6| which have v hingeconnections t2 on the carriage 3 at the front. When it is desired tofold up the hood 58 when the carriage 3 is to be retracted into thecabinet body, the two side plates or panels 6l are swung inwardly ontheir hinges 62 andthe plate 58 is then swung downwardly, and ifdesired, small pivoted latches 63 may be provided for latching over theside edges of the plate 59 to hold it down'.

In the folded position of the cabinet it will b e evident that thebrackets I8 will hold the forward end of the plate l in a slightlydepressed position, and hence the supporting flange 54 (see Figure 4)should extend in an inclined direction, being depressed toward itsforward end. This flange 54 may be formed as an extension on a cornice64 hung over an angle iron 65 which is a frame member for supporting theside plate 55 (see Figure 6).

In case itv is desired to employ a loud speaker with the pictureprojection apparatus, the forward wall of the cabinet should be providedwith an opening preferably provided with a screen 66 (see Figures l and4), at which the loud speaker 61 is located. Back of this loud speaker`a box 68 may be provided for amplifying apparatus connected by a cable69 to the interior of the projection apparatus 31 where properelectrical connections would be made with sound translating apparatus(not illustrated).

The screen 6 may be'mounted in any suitable manner, but as illustratedin Figure 5, it may be mounted in a suitable frame 10 in such a way thatthe screen can be placed in tension. For this purpose the edges of thescreen would be provided with rods 1| connected by elastic bands 12 withpins or screws 13 at the outer edge of the screen frame.

On the forward side of the forward wall of the cabinet I prefer toprovide a sign 14 which would cooperate with the projection apparatus 31in the manner described in my prior patent, that is to say, this sign 1dwould have two legends 15 and 16 preferably formed in neon lights andthese legends would be switched on alternately, controlled automaticallyto synchronize with the character of the pictures being thrown on thescreen. In other words, if the pictures thrown onto the screenillustrate scenes from a playshowing in the theatre at the time, thelegend Now showing would be lighted, and vice versa.

The cabinet illustrated is mounted onv caster wheels that facilitate itsbeing moved in and out through the doorway of a building such as atheatre.

The wrench I3 is a socket wrench, and is removed after using it. Adisconnectible electric cord la (see Fig. 1) is employed for supplyingthe apparatus with electric current.

For safety against flre, the projecbion machine 31 is preferablyconstructed in accordance with my prior Patent No. 2,008,878, dated July23, 1935, which discloses a construction for automatically stopping thewater and shutting off the light circuit in case the film should becomebroken.

The magazine 38 is preferably constructed in accordance with my PatentNo. 21120521, entitled Projecting apparatus", dated November l2, 1935.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I donot wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in theclaims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

l'. In a picture display cabinet of the kind described, the lcombinationof a closed substantially light-proof cabinet body having a forward wallin a substantial vertical plane, a rigid screen frame and a screenjuxtaposed on the rear side of said forward wall, means for guiding thescreen frame and screen to slide in a plane substantially parallel tosaid forward wall, and out into display position, a primary reflectorwithin the body to receive the projected image, means connected with thescreen frame and moving therewith for excluding light from the spacebehind the screen, and a seconda-ry reflector associated with the screenand movable therewith for reflecting the image from the primaryreflector onto the screen.

2. In a picture display cabinet of the kind described, the vcombinationof a closed substantially light-proof cabinet body, a rigid screencarriage guided to slide substantially parallel with the forward wall ofthe body in and out of the body, a screen carried by the screencarriage, means for preventing light from entering the cabinet bodythrough the space between the screen carriage and the walls of thecabinet body, a primary reflector within the body for receiving aprojected image, and a secondary reflector receiving the reflectionsdirectly from the primary reflector and 'connected with the cabinet bodyand with the screen carriage so as to move the secondary reflector intoposition to cooperate with the primary reflector to cast the imagedirectly onto the screen from the secondary reflector, said partscoopeiting to exclude light as the carriage moves into its outermostposition.

3. In a picture display cabinet of the kind described` the combinationof a cabinet body, a screen. carriage guided to slide out of said bodyparallel with the front thereof into a display position, a secondaryreflector having a hinge connection with one of said parts and a slidingconnection with the other of said parts for bringing the secondaryreflector into active position, a screen carried by the screen carriage,means located at the side of the carriage and moving with the same forpreventing entra-nce of light into the screen carriage when the same isextended into its active position, and a primary reflector for receivingthe projected image and cooperating with the secondary reflector toreflect the same onto the screen.

' 4. In a picture display cabinet of the kind described, the combinationof a substantially lightproof cabinet body, a screen-carriage guided tomove in and out of the body, a screen carried thereby, a primaryreflector within the body for receiving a projected image, a secondaryreflector at said slots in the extended position of the carriage. l

5. In a picture display cabinet of the kind described, the combinationof a cabinet body, a screen-carriage guided to slide substantiallyvertically from the interior of the body, a secondary reflector hingedlyconnected to theu body and 15 having a sliding connection with thecarriage and operating to move into an inclined position back of thescreen-carriage when the screen-carriage is in itsextended position, ascreen carried by the carriage, a prim ary reflector'to receive 20 theprojected image and cooperating with the secondary reflector to reflectthe same onto the screen, and an extension of the carriage wallassociated with the upper end of the secondary reflector in its extendedposition for excluding out- 25 side light from the interior of thecabinet.

6. In a picture displaycabinet of the kind described, lthe combinationof a cabinet body having a forward wall, a screen juxtaposed on saidforward wall, means for guiding .the screen to 30 slide out into displayposition,y a primary reflector within the body to receive the projectedimage,

' a secondary reflector associated with the screen and movable therewithfor reflecting the image from the primary reflector onto the screen.said cabinet body having a rear wall with a doorway and door therein, adivision wall toward the rear forming a projection compartment for aprojection machine, said division wall operating to exclude light fromthe forward part of the cabinet when the door is open, and havinga.shuttered peep-hole through which the picture on the screen may beseen from the interior ofthe projection compartment.A

7,. In a picture display cabinet of the kind described, the combinationof a cabinet body, a screen-carriage guided to slide out of said bodyinto'a display position, a secondary reflector having a hinge connectionwith one of said parts and .a sliding connection with the other of saidparts for bringing the secondary reflector into active position, ascreen carried' by the screen-carriage, ,a primary reector for receivingthe projected image and cooperating with the secondary reflector to'reflect the same onto the screen, lsaid 5'- screen-carriage having sidewalls, and sectorp shaped side plates at 4the sides of said second--Yary reflector projecting into the rear side of the.

jection compartment.

mounted in the cabinet body so that it can be moved out of the same intoa display position, a

screen carried by the screen-carriage, a division wall in the cabinetbodyidividing off` a projection compartment from the remainder of theinterior of the body, a projection machine in the compartment having afilm magazine with a door `mounted to swing open toward the divisionwall saiddivision wall having a portion thereof movably mounted in thecasing so as to be capable of movement away from the interior of thepro- 9. In a picture display cabinet, the combination of a cabinet body,a screen-carriage movably mounted in the cabinet body so that it can bemoved out of the same into a display position,

. a screen carried by the screen-carriage, a division wall in thecabinet body dividing of! a projection compartment from the remainder ofthe interior of the body, aprojection machine in the I compartmenthavinga nlm magazine with a door said movable portion of the divisionwall in position after the 'same has been moved away from the projectioncompartment. I n

10. In a picture display cabinet, the combination of a substantiallylight-proof cabinet body, a 'screenl carriage guided to movesubstantially yertically from the interior of thel body, said screencarriage having a screen'in its forward wall and having a cover. walland side walls, a cover wall for the cabinet having a hinged sectionextending into the rear side of the screen carriage and below the coverwall of the screen carriage, said vhinged section having side `wallslying substantially against the inner faces of the side walls of thescreen carriage and cooperating with thesame to exclude light from theinterior of the screen carriage when the same has been moved upwa lyfrom the interior of the cabinet body, said een carriagehaving a backwall with a flexible flap for engaging the upper face of the hingedsection to exclude light from passing into the interior of the screencarriage from Y the rear side, a projection machine within the cabinetbody, and reflectors for reflecting light from the projection machineonto the inner face of the screen.

ALBERT B. SCOTT.

